The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-12
GYPSIES OF YANKEELAND
ROYAL PRINCES WHO DRIVE THE
SHARPEST OF HORSE TRADES.


Money Makers The Profits of For
tune-Telling- Gypsy Virtues and
Peculiarities Wealthy Members of the
Bohemian Fraternity.
From the Ne,o York World
ROCKVILLE Conn, May 27.-Fiction,
poetry, the opera and society at large owe
great deal to the gypsies Among novels
Guy Mannering," i'll opera ''The Bohemian
Girl" in poetry 1.-THE Spanish Gypsy" and
in society the wandering fortune-tellers
illustrate the truth of the above proposition.
But the iconoclastic tendencies of mater
ialistic age have robbed the gypsy of many
romantic features. Take, for instance, the
gypsies of Connecticut They are in most
respect radically different from the ideal
Bohemians of song and legend. The wooden
nutmeg influence has been strongly felt by
the down east" gypsies, and where
Bohemian of the drama would kidnap
child, Prince Williams and his followers
prefer to drive a sharp trade with a horse
| dealer. The results is that while the Con-
necticut gypsies may not be extremely
picturesque, they are, nevertheless, well pro
vided with lands and money. All this is
owing in part to the commercial genius of
| THE GYPSY JAY GOULD,
their chief Thomas Williams, ''the king
of the New England gypsies," is the Jay
| Gould of his race. He knows hawk from
handsaw i'll a business transaction, and his
remarkable skill in trading horses made him
rich He owns extensive sale stables in New
! Haven, the Farmers Hotel in East Hartford
and valuable real estate i'll Boston and
Canada. During the past winter he has
sold a large number of horses from the
| Nf,.in, = hgg nfCIN- hos
made good profit on his ventures Prince
! Williams spends his money freely. Two
| wagons, handsomely decorated, were re-
Gently made for him at Fair Haven at
cost of 81 900 apiece His family is large
one His wife is now more than GO years
of age, but still holds her position as the
most skillful fortune-teler in the country
She is an expert ''cheirosophist," though
she would doubtless be surprised and angry
at being called by such a name. Prince
| Williams and his wife are not at all cultured
| III fact it is a sad but acknowledged truth
that they cannot read nor write. They
| have not, however a narrow prejudice
against education and have gone so far as
! to send a few of their numerous offspring to
good schools. Their family is large one.
Washington Williams, commonly known as
| "Wash," teStifies in name to the patriotic
instincts of his parents. Like his great
namesake, WASH cannot tell lie, but if
YOU have occasion to buy horse from him
be very careful to thoroughly examine the
animal before you close the bargain. In
fact WASH Williams is a genius as a horse
trader, and has been known 20 cheat even
his father in an equine bargain. "Dickeyn
! Williams is another adept in horseflesh, but
not SD sharp in trade as his brother Another
princeling bears the biblical name of Noah
and has wandered away to the great West
AN ACCOMPLISHED FORTUNE-TELLER.
Besides the boys the venerable monarchs
have four girls of whom three are married.
wash" Williams is now with the tents
and followers, encamped near Rockville
| Two of his married sisters are with him
| One of them, Emma, married Il man named
| Lambert, and the other Paddle is the wife
| of ''Bill' SquireS. Next to the mother
| Paddle is the most accomplished fortune
teller in the band. She viii frequently go
forth for days tramp and make $25 by her
art. When the band is encamped near
| Hartford she Wanders from door to door
and has made a great many converts by her
remarkable powers of prophecy. One
young woman, who had for years scofsed at
palmiStry, was once approached by Paddle
who told her that she would marry a dark
man. The young woman is now married
and her husband is one of the darkest men
she ever met. Her belief in Paddles genius
is unbOunded On such slight foundations
does the fortune-teller base success. All the
daughters of prince Williams have been
clever girls, and one of them--Betsy-w a
great beauty. She had many suitOrs for
her hand. And just here it may be said
that the gypsy women of Connecticut are
sclupulously chaste. They are true to their
marriage VOWS, and the man who should go
too far in his attentiong might pay the
penalty of death for his temerity. There is
no Mes MeITihes among them. They lead
an unconventional life, it is true, but there
are many women higher in the social scale
who might profit by study of gypsy virtue.
THE BOHEMIAN VIBRATIONS.
The season has come when the Connect
cut gypSies begin their migrauions. They
are divided into various bands, all under the
control of Prince Williams. He it is who
directs their progress tells them where to
camp, what places to avoid, where to do
their shopping etc. and it is well-known
fact in the nutmeg State that Prince
| Williams and his subj ects are good customers.
Whenever they purchase anything they
always pay cash, and what they buy is of
the best quality. There is tain lux
urious streak in the gypsy blood which
rejoices in the good things of life. The
wandering tent-dweIlels like high living and
| handsome clothes. Their taste in dress is
naturally somewhat loud" but they are
great admirers of costly textures and hand
some fabrics. 1t is impossible to deceive
| JuCIn III UillS regard, ana Uney cannot be
cheated by the sharpeSt dealer in Connect
cut. They are now living i'll tents and
wagons. They camp in the woods or by the
highways, and are careful to seek spots
where shade and water are abundant. They
will remain in some secluded spot near a
town ~ village for days, or even weeks. and
then fold their tents like the Arab sand as
silently steal away And they don't steal
anything else. There was a time when Il
strong prejudice existed against them, based
on the belief that they were robbers, but the
acquisition of property has rendered the
gypsy a law-abiding citizen. He is a good
illustration of an economic truth, which is
worth mentioning. When the gypsy owned
nothing he was a Socialist in theory and
in practice. When, however, he became a
landholder, he grew conservative and held
"a good opinion of the law Thus it is that
the Connecticut gypsies are no longer
feared for their depredations, and it is but
seldom in these days that a gypsy is arrested
for theft. But if the gypsy has increased
his respect for other mems money, he has
seemingly but little regard for his own. He
is very careless with his 'boodlen He keeps
some of il in an old sack and the remainder
he wears in belt about his person. He does
not seem TO fear robbery, and has apparently
great confidence in the honesty of his dark
faced companions.
THE GYPSY DIALECT